Lauren Kudronowicz
Year: Junior
Major: Biology and Spanish
Her Campus (HC): How long have you been playing volleyball and how did you get involved?
Lauren Kudronowicz (LK): I have been playing volleyball since I was in eighth grade, which was much later than most athletes. I was in gymnastics as soon as I pretty much started to walk, but I broke my arm in seventh grade and I could not continue. The next year I decided to try volleyball, and it came very naturally for me and I fell in love with it.
HC: What is your typical weekday schedule with volleyball practices?
LK: Everyday I start class at 8 a.m. and I pretty much have class until 2 or 3 p.m.. Afterwards I go straight to the training room for treatments and to get taped. We finish practice around 6 or 6:30 and I don’t get home until about 7 p.m.. I make dinner and start my homework. We have games every Friday and Saturday, which gets stressful especially if we have to travel and I have to miss Friday classes.
HC: How does it feel to be ranked in the national top 10 for division II?
LK: It is an incredible feeling to be one of the top 10 best teams in the nation for division II. My team has worked so hard for this opportunity. Our conference is one of the hardest in the division, which requires us to play our best each and every day. We push each other to be our best and hold each other accountable to be better every day. We have set very high standards and we need to continue to beat those standards in practice.
HC: What has your best experience been from being on the Winona State volleyball team?
LK: My best experience has been the relationships I have made within my team. The girls are my family; I would do anything for my team and I know they would do the same. This bond we have is shown on the court. Our team chemistry is the best it has been and it has helped to be as successful as we have been. We play for each other and that is what drives us to be the best. I have also been given the opportunity to be a leader on the team and I have learned so much about leading the team and what it takes to be an influential part.
HC: You went to Costa Rica for two weeks in May. What are some of your favorite things from that trip?
LK: I went to Costa Rica for a travel study for my Spanish major. I loved being immersed into another culture and learning how other people live. I want to be able to see the world and this was just a taste of it. I made so many close friends from this trip, and I made so many wonderful memories from learning how to surf to hiking up to an active volcano, to zip-lining through the rainforest and jumping off cliffs into waterfalls.
HC: What type of career do you hope to create with biology and Spanish?
LK: I have always had a passion for animals ever since I was little. I want to either go to veterinary school or become a wildlife biologist. I want to rehabilitate injured animals and release them back into the wild. Being able to speak Spanish will help when traveling to other countries.
HC: What are a few things on your bucket list?
LK: A few things on my bucket list are to scuba dive with sharks, meet Brett Favre, go skydiving, go whale watching, and to travel to Australia, Greece, Spain, and South Africa.
Catch Lauren on the volleyball court as #4 for the Warriors while you can because it seems like we will not be catching her on U.S. soil very often after graduation.